David

Peralta

Solano started the Padres’ first three postseason games, including two against righties, but Peralta has gotten the nod in the last three. He homered in Sunday’s Game 2 and knocked in two more runs last night. The lineup: 1B Luis Arraez, RF Fernando Tatis jr., LF Jurickson Profar, 3B Manny Machado, CF Jackson Merrill, SS Xander Bogaerts, DH Peralta, 2B Jake Cronenworth, C Kyle Higashioka.

Peralta got another big hit for the Padres in the NLDS. He followed up his two-run home run in Game 2 with a two-run double in Game 3. Peralta came around to score on a Kyle Higashioka sacrifice fly to give the Padres a 4-1 lead. Peralta joined the Padres in midseason when Fernando Tatis Jr. was out and the team was wise to keep him around given his solid at-bats this postseason.

The Padres are making one change to the starting lineup for Sunday’s contest, as Peralta will get the start against Jack Jack Flaherty with Donovan Solano moving to the bench. That means Luis Arraez gets the start at first base. The full lineup for Sunday’s affair: 1B Arraez, RF Fernando Tatis jr., LF David Peralta, 3B Manny Machado, CF Jackson Merrill, SS Xander Bogaerts, 2B Jake Cronenworth, DH Peralta and C Kyle Higashioka.

Peralta has been better than Jurickson Profar and far better than Jake Cronenworth these last two months, but he’s still iffy to be in the lineup whenever the Padres face a righty. He’s batting .286/.354/.496 on with seven homers in the second half.

It appears to just be a day of rest for Tatis Jr. as the Padres make their final push for a postseason berth. The 25-year-old will sit and David Peralta will get the start in right field.

This was bound to happen with Fernando Tatis Jr. back, though the Padres did start him and give Jurickson Profar a rest on Monday. Peralta has been excellent these last two months, hitting .293/.342/.490 in 158 plate appearances, so the Padres will continue to mix and match with him when it makes sense.

Peralta did his damage off of right-hander Justin Lawrence in the sixth inning, with his 393-foot three-run shot increasing the Friars’ lead to 6-1. The 36-year-old outfielder also worked a walk in the contest, finishing the afternoon 1-for-2. On the season, he’s slashing an underwhelming .233/.298/.342 with three homers and 14 RBI.

With left-hander Mitchell Parker starting for the Nationals, the Padres will leave David Peralta on the bench and let Johnson start. the 28-year-old is just 4-for-32 so for in 2024 and is off fantasy radars.

Peralta also drew a walk for a three-reach game. The homer is his second of the 2024 campaign in (very) limited action. The 36-year-old could see playing time against right-handed pitching, but his days of being a viable fantasy player in redraft leagues has passed.

Peralta opened the scoring in the ballgame with an RBI double off of Reynaldo López in the second inning. He also added an RBI single off of López in the sixth inning that increased the Padres’ advantage to 3-0. With his three-hit attack, the 36-year-old outfielder is now hitting .253/.316/.333 with one homer, nine RBI and zero stolen bases across his 95 plate appearances.